"Of course he will. It's Ash," she replied calmly.
Molly watched in silence, her eyes shining with contained excitement.
"He's going to win, of course he's going to win. My brother is the best trainer in the world, after all!" she said without a doubt.
Molly, like Celeste, hadn't even considered the possibility that Ash could lose. Molly adored her brother above everything and had so much confidence in him that it almost seemed unbelievable they weren't blood-related and had only known each other for a few months. How could they get along so well in just a few months? It was a mystery, but their relationship was clear.
Celia, beside her, smiled softly without taking her eyes off the battle.
"Obviously," Delia commented.
Spencer remained silent, arms crossed, watching the field attentively, adding nothing but not missing a single detail.
Celia, who was sitting next to Molly, stroked her young daughter's head and smiled. She loved seeing Ash and Molly get along so well. Her daughter had suffered a lot for years, but thanks to Ash that pain had been forgotten. Of course they had also contributed, but Molly was happiest when she was with Ash and her. That's why she also had confidence in Ash — that, and because he was a very good brother and an excellent person: honest, kind, protective, humble… simply put, he was an exceptional person, and that's why she also appreciated him as if he were her own son.
A bit further away, Professor Oak leaned slightly forward.
"Both are quite evenly matched, but… it seems Ash has done better," he commented calmly.
Professor Oak simply didn't know who to root for. Logically he should root for Gary, his grandson, but he had watched Ash grow up since he was a baby and they were very close, so he decided to remain neutral. Whoever won, he would be happy for them. Whoever lost, he would tell them they did well. He simply didn't want to take anyone's side.
Delia smiled slightly, calm and completely confident. She knew her son was going to win. She had no doubts. Beside her, Spencer stared fixedly at the battlefield, not paying attention to his surroundings, his gaze locked on the battle, not wanting to miss a single second. But inside, he knew who the winner would be. He had complete confidence in Ash.
Spencer deeply appreciated Ash, not only because he had saved his daughter from what would surely have been a sad life or death in the worst case, but also because in his mind, Ash was already Molly's brother, and there was no need to explain his opinion of him.
"Come on Ash, just one more push and the battle is yours. You've got this," he commented.
He added nothing more out loud. He simply continued staring fixedly at the battlefield.
A few seats away, Naria kept talking non-stop while looking at the screen.
"Chat, now this is it. This is the real end. I mean, what comes next is what truly matters," she said energetically.
The messages kept rising without stopping. The chat was saturated with viewers, free subscriptions, paid ones — she couldn't even read clearly what was being said because it was moving so fast.
"And watch out for that Dragonite, it's no joke, okay?" she added, pointing toward the field.
Her grandfather, sitting beside her, shook his head slightly, although with a faint smile. It was better to let her do what she wanted, so he continued watching Ash's battle while a somewhat curious thought invaded his mind. His granddaughter had been very close to Ash lately and almost always when they were alone, apart from her streams and social media things he couldn't quite understand, all her conversation topics revolved around Ash. Could it be that spring had arrived for his granddaughter?
"Anyway, whatever has to happen, let it happen. This is something for the young people. Let them solve it themselves. I won't get involved," he murmured.
Naria briefly glanced at the chat. The comments were varied. Some were with Ash, some with Gary, some asked Naria for her impressions and opinions… there was a huge number of people watching the stream. At this point, there were almost 1 million viewers, causing even the platform to have glitches sometimes. Since the first battle in the preliminaries, the popularity of Ash and Naria hadn't stopped growing, and after watching all the battles, his impressive talent, his rare Pokémon… people simply spread the battles online and where to watch them live. Some opted for television, but most tuned into Naria's stream out of pure curiosity. As the battles progressed, many people realized that Naria wasn't just a genius streamer with charisma that rivaled famous streamers like Iono, but that she was also a beauty on the same level as Iono. All that combined with the fact that many adored Ash… Naria began gaining followers and subscriptions so fast that it seemed unreal that just a couple of months ago she was a beginner streamer with almost no subscribers or followers on social media.
"Who's going to win?" she read out loud.
She smiled instantly. Who else could win? There was no doubt.
"Are you seriously asking? It's obvious," she responded without hesitation.
She leaned slightly toward the camera.
"Ash is going to win," she said with total certainty.
The chat filled with supportive comments and some saying they preferred Gary. Nothing special, but there were a few that caught her attention.
"What's my relationship with Ash?" Naria said, reading the comments.
Many viewers were expectant. They already knew Ash and she had a special relationship, but they didn't know exactly what it was.
"Well… we're friends, good friends. He has helped me so much. Thanks to him I now have so many people supporting me. I simply owe him so much that I don't even know how I'm going to repay him for all his support…" Naria said.
But many noticed that when she said that, her cheeks blushed and she flashed a smile that almost dazzled them. It was clear that Naria didn't just want to be his friend, but something more.
"No, I don't like him! We're just good friends!" Naria said, embarrassed.
Her face was so red it looked like steam was coming out of her. Her heart began beating strongly, giving her away. Many in the comments realized that their beloved Naria had already been taken from them. Many were happy for her, others not so much, but Naria ignored them. She didn't even know what her feelings toward Ash were and she had to think about them very seriously, but now wasn't the time for that.
"Anyway, Ash is definitely going to win! Do you have more questions about the battle? If so, I'll answer them all!" Naria said, embarrassed.
Everyone noticed that Naria had reached her limit, so it was better not to keep pushing her, because they were sure that with time, the inevitable would happen. So they left the topic there and began commenting on their impressions of the battle.
In another, more distant VIP box, Leaf watched the field with her arms propped up, completely focused.
"…"
Her mother glanced at her sideways. Leaf's mother was a woman with shoulder-length brown hair, intense blue eyes, and quite large breasts. To get an idea, she was the milf version of Leaf. Leaf's mother, Angela, had arrived the other day, when Leaf qualified for the Top 16.
{Note: I forgot to mention her, sorry}
"What do you think?" her mother asked.
Leaf didn't take long to respond.
"Of course he's going to win. It's my Ash after all!" she said with total naturalness.
Her mother smiled. Since they were little, Leaf had always been by Ash's side and she herself knew about the relationship they had. She knew they weren't just childhood friends, but boyfriend and girlfriend. Her daughter hadn't told her anything, but when she let slip expressions like "My Ash!" she simply gave herself away. For other things like Pokémon battles her daughter was as intelligent as Ash, but for everything else… she was simply an airhead.
"I think so too," she nodded.
With nothing more to say, she fixed her gaze back on Ash, her future son-in-law, to whom she would have to give her blessings sooner or later. Of course she already knew Ash. He had stayed at her house countless times when he was little, for meals, dinners… even to sleep. He was practically her other son!
In the stands, Verity watched attentively, not missing a detail.
"This battle has truly met my expectations. It was simply exciting. Ash is impressive," she commented with a slight smile.
Beside her, Neesha nodded.
"You're right. Ash is simply on another level. He's a prodigy in battle, but…" she responded.
"But?" Verity asked, confused.
"But his next battle will be, and no offense to Giselle, probably against Leaf, and she also proved to be a prodigy in battle. Even if Ash has Mew and that Floette… it won't be an easy battle," Neesha said.
"It will be a very exciting battle, no doubt," Verity nodded.
"Haaa… after this Pokémon League I'm going home and taking some time off. Maybe I'll pay Ash a visit too," Neesha commented.
She had placed well, no doubt, and although she wasn't completely satisfied… she had placed in a very good position.
Further back, among the audience, Richie kept his eyes fixed on the field.
"Come on Ash, you're the best," he murmured.
He had lost to Ash, but he wasn't angry because he knew it was because he hadn't trained enough. But when they met again… he would win, no doubt!
{Note: they will meet again, I have no doubts. I'm not one to abandon characters like this.}
From different parts of the world, the battle was also being followed attentively.
In Kalos, Serena was sitting with her mother, staring at the screen without looking away.
"Hehe, I told you, Mom. Ash is the best!" she said with a small smile.
Her mother nodded. What was she supposed to say? Obviously Ash had shown clear superiority from start to finish. Besides, if she said anything against Ash, Serena wouldn't talk to her for a week, so she simply continued watching the battle.
In Johto, Lisa watched in silence, leaning back against the couch while eating popcorn.
In Paldea, Hana leaned forward, completely focused.
"You've got this, Ash," she said without taking her eyes off the screen.
Beside her, her mother looked at her daughter, completely focused on the battle, her gaze fixed on the screen almost without blinking, and sighed. That Ash had completely conquered her daughter's heart. Should she pay him a visit to check if he deserved to be with her daughter? Maybe after all this was over, she would go to Kanto with her daughter to visit Ash. After all, she doubted her daughter would refuse.
…
Meanwhile… somewhere else…
The broadcast occupied the entire screen, showing every detail of the battle with absolute clarity. The stadium roared even through the sound, but in that room the atmosphere was completely different. The dim lighting and the order of the place contrasted with the intensity of the battle, creating a silence full of expectation. The double knockout repeated on screen over and over, and the figure didn't look away for a single moment.
"He has improved," she said calmly.
Gary had fought a good battle. Cleaner, more measured. His decisions were more precise, his way of acting less impulsive. He had learned to restrain himself, to analyze before acting. He was no longer the same trainer as before.
"He no longer rushes as much… but he still reacts slowly," she added while watching the replay.
That was the problem. He wasn't setting the pace, he was following it. And in a battle like this, staying reactive meant always being one step behind.
The image changed and showed Ash on the field, completely calm, as if the pressure didn't exist. His posture was firm, his gaze clear. There were no doubts in him.
"And he… has grown more than I expected," she murmured.
It wasn't just that he was stronger. He was more precise, more consistent, more complete. He had learned to control the battle instead of letting himself be carried away by it.